1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for moving, along a curved path, a curved plate bent in a substantially arcuate-shape or of part-cylindrical cross section such as a curved window glass used in a door of vehicles or a curved door disposed on a curved surface of a cylindrical container to openably close an opening, and more particularly to a device of the kind above described by which there is no undesirable stress tending to cause deformation of the device itself during movement of the curved plate along the curved path.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is the present tendency to extensively employ a curved window glass bent in a substantially arcuate-shape in automotive vehicles. In a prior art curved plate moving device used for causing vertical movement of a curved window glass along a curved path, a door frame having the curved path of special shape is generally employed to restrict the movement of the curved window glass so that the window glass can make arcuate movement according to the predetermined curved path along which the window glass is to be guided. However, such a prior art curved plate moving device or so-called window regulator presently used in this field is generally constructed to make linear movement during lifting and lowering the window glass by a lift arm. Thus, the lift arm in the prior art window regulator is constructed to be capable of elastic deformation or a play of some degree is provided in the connections between various component elements of the window regulator, so that the window glass can make the required arcuate movement along the curved path provided in the door frame. In such a construction, however, a transverse force to or a force in a direction of thickness of the curved glass is inevitably imparted to the glass-runs or the curved path guiding the window glass due to the difference in direction of motion between the window glass making the arcuate movement and the window regulator making the linear movement. Therefore, the prior art construction is defective in that this transverse force to the curved glass gives rise to not only undesirable deformation or wear of the glass-run but also undesirable deformation of the window regulator, resulting in difficulty of effecting smooth and reliable operation of the window regulator. Such construction is also applied presently to a device for moving a curved door disposed on a curved surface of a cylindrical container for openably closing an opening of the container and has a defect similar to that above described.